The advice center has significantly more inquiries

Since it was founded in mid-2019, the Stettiner Haff Welcome Center has not registered as many inquiries as this year. By shortly before the turn of the year, the three-person team that advises newcomers and returnees to the Western Pomerania region had been contacted 1,086 times, said center manager Aleksandra Piasecka. Last year there were 305 inquiries, the highest data so far from 2022 with 456 inquiries. There is also a new record in the number of cases treated intensively. This year there are 63, after 32 last year and 52 in 2022. “Even if the name Welcome Center doesn’t mean something to everyone, the numbers show that the center is well received,” said Aleksandra Piasecka.

Advising returnees and newcomers is still the team’s main task, i.e. the leader. As in previous years, there are inquiries from Germany mainly from metropolitan areas – especially from Berlin or North Rhine-Westphalia. A quarter of the inquiries mainly concern the topic of work. Then it’s about the areas of life and living, company contacts as well as leisure and relaxation. 22 percent of Aleksandra Piasecka’s contacts with the center come from student status, seven percent from international specialists. “It’s not the mass. But we have inquiries from specialists from Kazakhstan, Russia, Peru, Poland, South Africa, Portugal and Poland,” reported Aleksandra Piasecka. While returnees and newcomers from Germany in the northeast would appreciate the comparatively better life “without stress and traffic jams”, the clean air or the good supply of daycare and school places, when it comes to inquiries from abroad it is primarily the topic of jobs. The magnet that attracts people is good jobs in the region, for example in clinics or in leading positions in companies. Often a life partner already has a job in Western Pomerania. However, the recognition of professional qualifications is problematic here. The procedures are complicated and time-consuming.

“Our efforts to bring students and companies together probably also contributed to the good numbers this year. The aim is to keep students in the region. Since there is no university in southern Western Pomerania, we work closely with the colleges and universities in Neubrandenburg, Greifswald and Stettin,” says Aleksandra Piasecka. Trade fairs would be used in the facilities to provide information about professional opportunities in the region and to establish dialogue. A “HR meeting” that was launched two years ago was also ongoing. Universities would be informed about where company internships are available. In addition, advertising was carried out during a summer campaign on the Baltic Sea and the Lagoon.

According to the director, the EU-funded project to integrate international specialists has been running since the middle of this year. “I am very happy that since September we have had an employee in the center, Kateryna Yerdokymova, who speaks six languages. This makes it possible to exchange ideas with many interested parties who want to come to the region,” said Aleksandra Piasecka. Language is the be-all and end-all. If there is no communication, it is difficult in all areas, said Kateryna Yerdokymova. In this regard, we are working with the job center and are grateful for the support of communities and the church, which can provide language courses. Although you don’t have access to the doctor, you can certainly help with appointments with the immigration authorities. The issue of housing is a problem, especially for doctors who want to come from abroad. “It would be desirable if there were suitable apartments for these interested parties. We advertise with fresh air, but this is often missing,” said the center manager. At the beginning of the center’s activities, there is still demand for building land in the region. In 2024 that would no longer be the case. Rather, there is a demand for high-quality rental apartments.